The ‘Microplastic’ Threat to Our Foodchain

The ‘Microplastic’ Threat to Our Foodchain

Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study has warned. Researchers traced the “microplastic” back to synthetic clothes, which released up to 1,900 tiny fibres per garment every time they were washed. Earlier research showed plastic smaller than 1mm were being eaten by animals and getting into the food chain.

“Once the plastics had been eaten, it transferred from [the animals’] stomachs to their circulation system and actually accumulated in their cells,” said study co-author Mark Browne, an ecologist now based at the University of California, Santa Barbara.